How important is DeMarcus Cousins to the Sacramento Kings? Apparently a lot.
The Kings are 1-4, and with the level of strength coming against their next opponents (Houston Rockets, Golden State Warriors, and San Anntonio Spurs), they are looking start the season in the basement of a very tough Western Conference.
So far this season I have two analyses of the Kings in their first five games: a team with Boogie Cousins, and a team without.
In the first three games with the All-Star big man, the Kings looked pretty solid, despite their 1-2 record. In their sole win of the season, the Kings were able to blow past the Los Angeles Lakers by scoring a whopping 132 points, and in their two losses (both to the Los Angeles Clippers) they kept the game competitive all the way down to the final minutes of the game.
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However, during that Halloween game against the Clippers, the Kings received a fright as Cousins went down with an achilles injury that sidelined him for at least the next two games.
This is where the downfall of the Kings starts, as over those next two games the Kings efficiency on both ends of the court started to decrease, and therefore have been bullied in losses against the Memphis Grizzlies and the Phoenix Suns.
Throughout these first five games of the season my identity of the Kings is where Boogie goes, the team goes. To be fair, it is only the beginning of the season, and the roster is still very fresh in trying to get to know one another both on and off the court, but so far it looks like the Kings need to get their Boogie back if they want to see more wins in the early parts of this season.
Hopefully for the Kings and their fans, Cousins can return to action soon because the comparison of the team with and without him on the court is literally night and day.
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I do believe despite the schedule being tough to start the season that if Cousins remains healthy throughout this rigorous stretch, the Kings could definitely get a good share of wins recorded. In my opinion he’s that dominate of a player.
Overall, my thoughts on the Kings so far this season is that Cousins’ heath will greatly impact how this season goes for Sacramento.
Next: The Sacramento Kings Current Problem
I was originally optimistic about the Kings playing their past two games because I wanted see how this new and improved roster would fair without their best player, but unfortunately it seems like for their postseason dreams to come true a healthy Cousins needs to be present on the court for at least the majority of the season.